"Hush!... Hush!... The sound...."
"Is dragging itself...."
"Downstairs. It's like a footstep. It's always like that."
"Oh, Mamma, I'm frightened!"
"It's nothing, dear: the wind, a draught, a board creaking...."
"Oh, but I'm frightened!"
"It's nothing.... I opened the door once ... to look."
"You dared to?"
"Yes. It was nothing."
"There was nothing to see?..."